The Children and Families Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Resource Collection

Ukraine Key Care Recommendations (Responding to children's care in the context of the Ukraine Crisis)

"The Ukraine Key Care Recommendations (Responding to children's care in the context of the Ukraine Crisis) guidance document provides a framework to support child protection practitioners and policymakers working both inside Ukraine and in host countries to implement responses related to children’s care in the context of Ukraine in line with international standards and good practice on children’s care and the provision of alternative care. It includes key recommendations to inform strategic priorities, programme design, and priority interventions and advocacy efforts with policymakers, donors and other key stakeholders. The recommendations concern children without parental or family care, at risk of separation, in alternative care or who have recently left alternative care, including those who have been evacuated from residential care facilities either inside Ukraine or to host countries. Each section considers children in both refugee and internally displaced contexts, as well as children with existing intersecting vulnerabilities, such as children with disabilities and children from ethnic minorities, including Roma or third country nationals. "

Connect with Respect: Preventing Gender-Based Violence in Schools

The Connect with Respect Preventing Gender-based Violence in Schools tool has been created to help teachers, school principals and the broader education system to deliver education programmes in early secondary school by providing positive role models, empowering children and youth to have healthy and respectful relationships, and delivering a violence prevention programme within their curriculum in Asia and the Pacific. It is designed for students between 11 and 14 years of age, but can be adapted for use with older students. It provides age-appropriate learning activities on important themes and concepts relating to the prevention of gender-based violence and promotion of respectful relationships. The learning activities are informed by research into effective teaching about gender, violence prevention, and life-skills development and are designed for use in the formal school system; however, they can be modified for use in non-formal education settings, including through community learning or literacy programmes.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups: Programme Resource Package

The MHPSS in CAAFAG Programmes Resource Package (field-test version) is an inter-agency package of resources that aims to support the integration of MHPSS into programmes for the prevention, release, and reintegration of children associated with armed forces and armed groups (CAAFAG). It offers evidence-based guidance on how to support the mental health and well-being of children, families, and communities in emergency, humanitarian, and post-conflict settings through CAAFAG programming. The MHPSS in CAAFAG Programmes Resource Package includes a suite of four resources: • Operational Guidance for MHPSS in CAAFAG Programmes: The operational guidance includes an operational framework to guide the design and implementation of MHPSS services in CAAFAG programmes. The operational guidance is a complement to the CAAFAG Programme Development Toolkit Guide developed by the CAAFAG Task Force and aligns with the UNICEF Global Multisectoral Operational Framework for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support of Children, Adolescents and Caregivers Across Settings (Demonstration Version) with linkages to the MHPSS Minimum Services Package. The operational guidance consists of two sections: 1) Understanding Children’s MHPSS Assets and Needs and 2) Operational Framework for MHPSS for CAAFAG. • An Evidence Review of MHPSS programming relevant to CAAFAG: The evidence review defines key terms, offers an elaboration on key concepts and considerations for MHPSS among CAAFAG; describes approaches to delivering MHPSS, considers risk and protective factors, offer considerations around integrating MHPSS throughout the CAAFAG programming, describes MHPSS tools for use with CAAFAG programmes, and offers a discussion of evidence gaps and recommended areas for further research. • Contextualization Guidance for MHPSS delivery in CAAFAG programming: The contextualization guidance defines the key aspects of contextualisation for CAAFAG MHPSS programmes and highlights key steps for contextualising the MHPSS for CAAFAG Operational Framework. The guidance also offers information, tools, and illustrative case studies to inform the adaptation of components of the MHPSS for CAAFAG Operational Framework to cultures, contexts, and situations. • Advocacy and Dissemination Package on MHPSS delivery in CAAFAG programming to drive further development and research.

Connect Tools

The CONNECT project aims to support actors involved in responding to the situation of unaccompanied children arriving in Europe. Key issues addressed by these actors include recognition as a child and access to reception services, legal representation and guardianship, the participation of children in procedures, access to education and health services. Other important issues are disappearances from centers, how to determine the best interest of the child and identification of possible child victims of trafficking. Each project country have through pilot projects developed practical tools which can be used by actors across the EU Member States. These tools address specific aspects of how actors address the situation of these children and can be used separately or together as a toolkit: 1. Who's responsible? A tool to strengthen cooperation between actors involved in the protection system for unaccompanied migrant children (Italy) 2. Local cooperation for unaccompanied children: A tool to assess and improve reception condition (Sweden) 3. Standards to esnure that unaccompanied migrant children are able to fully participate: A tool to assist actors in legal and judicial proceedings (The UK) 4. The right to be heard and participation of unaccompanied children: A tool to support the collection of children’s views on protection and reception services (The Netherlands) 5. Working with the unaccompanied child: A tool to support the collection of children’s views on protection and reception services (The Netherlands) 6. Evaluation sheet - End of guardianship form (to be filled in by child).

INEE Background Paper on Psychosocial Support and Social and Emotional Learning for Children and Youth in Emergency Settings

The INEE Background Paper on Psychosocial Support and Social and Emotional Learning clarifies relevant terminologies and approaches relating to psychosocial well-being and social and emotional learning (SEL) in education in crisis-affected contexts, and explores how psychosocial support (PSS) and social and emotional learning relate to one another. The target audiences for this paper are education practitioners, academics, and policy-makers working in education in emergencies and protracted crises and the various sections highlight references to specific entry points for each. The paper includes various considerations for training, supervision, and well-being, as well as guidance on adopting a gender perspective, while also providing an overview of the impact of conflict and natural disasters on children’s well-being and the related risk factors and impact of stress on brain development.

Guidelines on Children's Reintegration

The Guidelines on children's reintegration provides practical guidance to help governments, donors, NGOs, faith-based organizations, and practitioners to design high quality programs, measure impact, train practitioners, and pursue national-level systemic change in support of integration. The Guidelines provide a framework for anyone seeking to ensure family care for children. They build upon a solid evidence base, developed through extensive desk-based research which explored good practice in the reintegration of separated children in emergencies, former child soldiers, street children, institutionalised children, migrant children, and children who have been trafficked. The guidelines call for: (1) support for children and families at all stages of the process for proper preparation and follow-up; (2) a holistic package including economic strengthening, access to basic services, therapeutic support, and efforts to address violence and abuse in families; (3) work to enable communities to monitor and assist reintegrating children, and to reduce stigma and discrimination and (4) strengthening of child protection systems to create an environment which promotes effective reintegration.

Including Children with Disabilities in Humanitarian Settings

The Including Children with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action pack consists of six guidance booklets that aim to strengthen the inclusion of children and women with disabilities, and their families, in emergency preparedness, response and early recovery, and recovery and reconstruction. This series of booklets provides insight into the situation of children with disabilities in humanitarian contexts, highlights the ways in which they are excluded from humanitarian action, and offers practical actions and tips to better include children and adolescents with disabilities in all stages of humanitarian action. The booklets were created in response to UNICEF colleagues in the field expressing a need for a practical resource to guide their work. The information and recommendations are based on evidence and good practices gathered from literature and field staff experiences. The six booklets on how to include children and adolescents with disabilities in humanitarian programmes focus on: 1) general guidance; 2) child protection; 3) education; 4) health and HIV/AIDS; 5) nutrition; 6) water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

Global Multi Sectoral Operational Framework for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support of Children, Adolescents and Caregivers Across Settings [Field Demonstration version]

UNICEF’s Global Multi Sectoral Operational Framework for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support of Children, Adolescents and Caregivers Across Settings [Field Demonstration version] aims to guide MHPSS programme development and integration of MHPSS into all sectors that influence children, adolescents, families and caregivers mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. The framework can be used in development contexts, humanitarian contexts and within the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. There is emphasis on engaging actors in the health, social welfare and child protection and education sectors at all levels of society to design, implement and evaluate MHPSS strategies that are locally relevant, comprehensive and sustainable. The framework can be used by all persons involved in assessing needs; designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating programmes for children, adolescents and caregivers; and those involved in advocating for support children, adolescents and caregivers.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Technical Note

The Mental Health and Psychosocial Technical Note synthesizes information on UNICEF’s approach to MHPSS, and references existing MHPSS operational guidance and standards that are detailed across sectors. It has been developed for UNICEF staff and explains : • WHAT Mental Health and MHPSS is, • WHY MHPSS needs to be included and delivered across sectors, and • HOW to deliver effective, multi-sectoral MHPSS in both development and humanitarian contexts. It gives an overview of guidance, evidence-based interventions, standards, resources, and examples of successful MHPSS programs. It also provides practical suggestions to further strengthen UNICEF’s approach to inclusion for people of all ages, genders, abilities, ethnicities and living situations. Children and adolescents are particularly prioritized, and all sectors are encouraged to incorporate MHPSS approaches to support children and family’s mental health and well-being.

The Climate Crisis: A Children’s Crisis

The Climate Crisis: A children’s crisis, through case studies and community testimonials, highlights the voices of the communities most impacted by climate change in the Federal Member State of Puntland, Somalia, which is largely semi-arid with a warm climate and sparse and sparse variable rainfall. The Booklet describes Climat Change in Puntland, pressing issues on climate change, and the causes and impact of climate change in Puntland.

My body. My Decision. My Right. curriculum for married adolescent girls and their male partners

The My body, my Decision, my Right: Curriculum for married adolescent girls and their male partners is a curricular were thoughtfully developed from reviews of numerous relevant resources and results of a formative research from a sample of 4000 adolescent girls and boys in Sierra Leone. The curriculum is used by the trained community facilitators to moderate safe space sessions of very young , older adolescents girls and boys and married or adolescent mothers and their partners. The curriculum promotes improved life skills, sexual and reproductive health education and empowerment for SGBV prevention.

Prospects for Children in 2022: A Global Outlook

The Prospects for Children in 2022: a Global Outlook is a UNICEF report that provides an in-depth analysis of trends and events impacting the rights and wellbeing of children across the globe. The report produces an outlook assessment on child wellbeing for the year 2022, analyzing key trends and their implications for children, including the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic, political instability and conflict, growth of the digital economy, and the globalization of climate policies. The report finds that inequities brought on by the COVID-19 crisis, such as school closures, access to treatment, and learning losses, present growing challenges for children across the globe, and predict record global humanitarian needs in 2022, as the impacts of climate change increase. The report provides data and figures for each global trend impacting children and offers insight into the current state of child wellbeing, the implications, and mitigation strategies for ensuring wellbeing and survival for children in the future.

Road to Recovery: Responding to Children's Mental Health in Conflict

The briefing paper sets out the scale of mental health effects on children living in conflict zones and the role of education in responding to them. It reveals new data which shows millions of children living in war zones or forced to flee as refugees will require support to address mental illness caused by war. The new analysis contained in the paper reveals at least 24 million children require some form of mental health support to deal with conditions such as such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression or anxiety, and severe post-traumatic stress disorder. In the face of an epidemic linked to the trauma of war, the international community must rapidly scale-up its response or risk losing a generation to the War on Children. This briefing paper looks at the options available to donor governments to better allocate aid to address the problem.

Promoting Wellbeing and Mental Health in Schools

The Promoting Wellbeing and Mental Health in Schools handbook is primarily for educators, to help them learn about mental health issues and better support them in educational environments. The Handbook aims to provide training to teachers, administrators, and people involved in the education of primary school children about the implementation of mental health literacy into daily school life. Such knowledge, skills and attitudes will equip all levels of educators with key tools to support student mental health, manage difficult classroom behavior, and promote students’ wellbeing and academic success.

Safeguarding in Sport and Sport for Development: A Practitioner’s Guide from Policy to Action

The Safeguarding in Sport and Sport for Development: A Practitioner’s Guide from Policy to Action provides a useful guide on how governments, sports confederations, organisations, clubs and individuals working in sport and Sport for Development can develop policies, guidelines and implement measures designed to safeguard children and vulnerable adults. The Safeguarding in Sport practitioner’s resource is a toolbox for organisations, facilitators - those who teach, coach or lead sporting activities, for parents and guardians and communities in Africa. It provides comprehensive guidance on developing safeguarding policies and practice in sport and sport for development contexts and is an important training resource for athletes, coaches and sports officials. Sport and Sport for Development is not just about the games. Sporting activities are used as a tool to engage target populations in programmes that work towards development goals such as peace promotion, gender equity, education, inclusion and health. To achieve this, effective safeguarding measures are essential to ensure that the right to participation in sport and physical activity in a safe and harm free environment for enjoyment – regardless of age, gender, origin or ability is fulfilled. This practitioner’s guide on Safeguarding in Sport and Sport for Development (S4D) Contexts is a product of an intensive and inclusive process that comprised a wide range of stakeholders. It has been developed in accordance with recognised best practice but with the African context in mind.

Youth Advocacy Toolkit

The Youth Advocacy toolkit is for any young person who wants to start their own advocacy campaign. If you are a teacher or a facilitator, you can also use this toolkit with your group to inspire them to work out which children’s rights issues they care about and how to go about creating the change they want to see. Youth-led advocacy is about supporting children and young people to speak up and helping them actively take part in the decisions that affect their lives. This toolkit will give you the skills and information you need to stand up for what is important to you. The Toolkit consists of: Youth Advocacy Guide and Youth Advocacy Guide Workplan.